Project connects homeless with goods, services

Clothing, personal hygiene items among those distributed at Tuesday’s event

Scott Cousins, scousins@s24532.p831.sites.pressdns.com

Published 10:02 pm, Tuesday, January 24, 2017

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Angela Botz, left, Community Outreach Coordinator for IMPACT in Alton, and Sam Borders, right, with Community Development, talk to a visitor Tuesday about services available at Project Homeless Connect at the River of Life Church on Fosterburg Road. The project is a nation-wide effort to provide services to the homeless organized locally by the Madison County Partnership to End Homelessness. less

Angela Botz, left, Community Outreach Coordinator for IMPACT in Alton, and Sam Borders, right, with Community Development, talk to a visitor Tuesday about services available at Project Homeless Connect at the ... more

Project connects homeless with goods, services

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ALTON — From winter coats to job search advice, area homeless and others were able to get in touch with a variety of service providers at Project Homeless Connect, a nation-wide effort organized locally by the Madison County Partnership to End Homelessness.

The event was held Tuesday at River of Life Church in Alton, and was in conjunction with the annual homeless count, which had been conducted the previous day.

Last year’s homeless count showed 419 homeless in Madison County, but final figures were not available from Monday’s count, said David Harrison, homeless services coordinator for Madison County Community Development. Most are counted in shelters and transitional housing. Monday’s count concentrated on those living outside of shelters.

They concentrated the count efforts in Alton and Granite City.

Harrison, who was in Granite City for the count, said they found about a half-dozen at the bus station, in the library and other areas where they could keep warm.

“It varies so much every year, depending on timing, how well we’ve done our job,” he said of the count. “Weather impacts us. Sometimes it’s just being in the right place at the right time, just so we can get that survey completed.

“Finding those people who are in locations where they don’t necessarily want to be found is a challenge we face every year,” he added.

In addition to being counted, they were encouraged to come to Tuesday’s event.

Harrison said there were more than 30 groups and agencies providing everything from prayer to feminine hygiene products.

“There are a lot of things that most of us take for granted,” he said. “It’s always there and it’s always been there. If you take that away it’s a crisis for us. But these people living on the streets are facing that crisis every day.”

The event started at 10 a.m. with a trickle of people, which ebbed and flowed as buses and vans dropped people off.

Harrison said there was no way to predict how many people would attend. After the first hour, 43 people had come through.

Participants were able to go from station to station. Representatives of some agencies were just there to talk to them, while others offered a wide variety of giveaways, medical exams, clothing or makeup.

A new group this year was Support the Girls, which formed a local chapter in May. The group collects gently used and new bras, new underwear and feminine products, then distributes them to the homeless.

“It’s such a need because these items provide women with dignity,” said Alicia Alexander, the Edwardsville chapter director. “It helps them feel clean and comfortable and confident. Having the right bra can make a woman feel so good.”

The group also received a corporate donation of 17,000 tampons from the company LOLA, and Tuesday’s event was their first opportunity to start distribution.

“Our partnership with LOLA will make a great difference in the lives of many women,” Alexander said.

In another room people were looking over clothing, with winter coats and blankets a popular item.

At other stations blood pressure and other screenings were offered.

Angie Merten, of Southern Illinois Healthcare, was giving out information about health insurance.

Although people can sign up for Medicaid at any time, she said the insurance marketplace closes Jan. 31.

She said the homeless sometimes have “amplified” health care needs “because they don’t have access to care because they’re transients,” she said. Merten added they might go to an emergency room to be treated for something, then move on to another area and have to start over if they need additional health care.

Nearby, Katheryn Jack of Hoylton Ministries, a Fairview Heights-based group that provides a variety of services, mostly youth and family-oriented, was passing out a variety of items and literature.

“We’re trying to reach everyone in the community,” she said. “I think it’s a good time for them to come in and see what kind of resources are available. A lot of people don’t know, and information is the first step.”

She noted that homelessness is a big issue, and can hit anybody.

“You can have a fire or lose a job,” she added. “Like they say, everybody is a paycheck from being on the street.”

Next to her, The Rev. Dr. Diane Hayes, who runs an Edwardsville-based ministry program, was offering Bibles, prayer and encouragement.

Most of the participants had an escort to help them navigate through the agencies, and also to help them carry some of the materials handed out.

Harrison said one common issue they see among the homeless is some kind of economic issue, that leads to other problems.

“Most are facing a financial crisis,” he said. “If you don’t have a job it’s hard to pay for housing, and its hard without housing to find a job.”

For information on homeless services, visit the Madison on County Partnership to End Homelessness Facebook page.